Travel Guide PA: Hank’s Place (Chadds Ford)

This place was more than just a diner. It’s a neighborhood eatery that’s been there forever where everyone seems to be a regular local. There is a sign outside that reads, “Where hungry people eat and friendly people eat”. With Hank’s swamped with customers and the servers appearing to be working tables by committee, I quickly realized the sign was right regarding how friendly everyone was.

Reuben

I mean, they really were slammed, but the waitresses we had were on the ball and had the time to stop by and chat every once in a while. We were seated at the counter because every table was taken. It ended up being a great spot, seeing one of the cooks preparing food right in front of us, and working with a machine-like speed that would lead me to believe he could cook in his sleep. It was entertaining.

Portobello Burger

But how about the first part of the sign? We were indeed hungry. Will decided to go with the local specialty and order a Portobello mushroom burger which was marinated and grilled to perfection, and smothered in melted cheese and roasted red peppers. He raved about it, while I thought it looked amazing. He finished it before I could ask for a bite. I, on the other hand, went the carnivorous route and got the Reuben. The corned beef slices were paper-thin and contained hardly any fat. The sandwich was another masterpiece. Grilled to a golden brown and crunched with each bite.

Apple Dumpling

To cap things off, the apple dumpling was calling our name. It was massive, and came with ice cream which we added for an extra dollar. All that food came to around $28 with tax if I remember correctly. If Hank’s was not closed the next day (New Year’s) we would have went back. It was that good. For now, they get a 4.5 out of 5 stars. However, this is the type of place that a few more visits with us having the same experience with different menu items could bring it to that elusive 5th star. To be continued…

Hank’s Place is located at 1625 Creek Road in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

Update: A Second Visit Two Days Later

Eggs Benedict– Hank’s Style

We made sure our last meal of this week-long odyssey would be at Hank’s. Just like the previous time, the crowds were busting through the door. Obviously, they are doing something right. Since it was around 11 a.m., I had to decide if I wanted breakfast or lunch. That Reuben was so good the day before, but I could hear my readers imploring me to try something new. There was Eggs Benedict Hank’s Style staring back at me from the menu. It’s basically your usual Benedict but instead of Hollandaise sauce, they use cream-chipped beef. The Canadian Bacon, which is normally sliced thin, was more like a slab. The egg yolks were loose, the whites puffy. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will had the Norwegian scrambled eggs, which came with a large serving of smoked salmon, a toasted bagel, cream cheese, red onion, and capers. He loved it. Hank’s is slowly but surely climbing the ladder to 5 stars. Out of 12 restaurants we ate at on this trip, this was the best of them.